


Make Do

by CorsetJinx



Category: Mobius Final Fantasy
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, R&R, alcohol mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 09:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10761624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorsetJinx/pseuds/CorsetJinx
Summary: A pit stop between clearing the Mako Reactors of Chaos's minions. Even potential candidates for being the Warrior of Light need to rest every now and again.





	Make Do

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during the FFVII Remake collab event.

" _This_ dump is the place you call home?" Echo's voice raised in pitch unceremoniously as she looked around what could immediately be seen of Sector 7, heedless of the stares she drew. Heedless or simply indifferent, it was hard to tell which. Her wings beat once to keep herself aloft, shock subsiding into hesitant neutrality when a pair of kids scampered by - dirt all over their clothes and shoddily cobbled toys in their hands.

"A home's a home." Cloud said tonelessly, looking back at them over his shoulder for a second before gesturing with one hand. "Come on. It's this way."

_This way_ turned out to be one of the larger piecemeal structures, a neon sign that occasionally sparked proudly declaring the establishment to be '7th Heaven'. In the murky light everywhere else, the pinkish illumination stood out like a beacon. Cloud moved up the rickety-looking stairs without glancing back, disappearing between the doors with hardly a sound.

"He _sure_ doesn't wait, does he?" Echo folded her arms behind her back, drawing one leg up.

"Couldn't say I blame him." The young man beside her shrugged. He gestured at the decrepitude around them as he walked and she floated along. "Looking around at all this is depressing."

A click of the faerie's tongue was the only answer the warrior received for a moment.

"Still, you'd think he could hold his chocobos for a moment." Echo groused as her Blank companion ascended the stairs which, though more than willing to creak, bore his weight well enough.

He grunted instead of answering, pushing open the door as Cloud had done.

Inside, it was a riot. Tables with mismatched chairs dominated the space, only a couple of people who might have been patrons sitting at them and clutching drinks. Machines were lined up on the right hand wall, flashing lights and blaring noise the warrior guessed was meant to attract someone's attention.

He spotted Cloud after a moment - the giant sword set aside somewhere, Cloud himself on a stool at the bar.

"Nice place." Echo hummed, wings fluttering.

Her companion looked around one more time - spotting a little girl with brown hair doing her best to rinse a glass in the sink, an ill-fitting pink dress smudged about the skirt. A taller brunette was beside her, talking with Cloud. She seemed the most at ease with this place.

"It's what they have." He said at last, easing his way between the tables to where the SOLDIER sat. He felt eyes drift over him - him, his weapon, and his unusual companion. "If it makes them happy, then it works I guess."

"Very true." Echo conceded.

He'd just settled himself on a stool beside Cloud when the woman the blond been speaking to turned her eyes on him. They were pretty, he supposed. Kind of reddish brown.

She smiled, pushing herself off the bar and reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. A dangling earring caught the light, white and teardrop shaped.

"You must be Cloud's friend. He just told me about you." Her voice was pleasant - a far cry better than Vox's.

"We're not friends." Cloud muttered, taking a sip of something from a short, thick-looking glass. He didn't look at any of them, focusing instead on the grain of the wood before him as he hunched his shoulders. "Her name's Tifa." Cloud added almost absently.

Tifa's eyes slid towards Cloud but he didn't meet them, her attention shifted back to the warrior instead. "That's right. Tifa Lockhart, at your service. What can I get you?"

"The two of you must be good friends." Echo nodded alongside her companion's words, opting to settle on his shoulder instead of sitting on the bar or continue hovering. He glanced at the wall of bottles behind Tifa, a little lost. "I'll have whatever's good I guess."

"Water, please." The faerie piped up. "I'm not sure I'd trust the other drinks around here."

_"Echo."_ The warrior's voice lowered, disapproving, but it only drew a shrug from the winged woman

Tifa's chuckle was pleasant, even warm as she waved the comment off. "No offense taken, I understand. Give me a second and - "

"Water for both of them." Cloud interrupted, his empty glass dully reflecting the neon lights above and around them. "Something to eat too, if there's anything left. If not, I'll pay."

"Of course there's - " Tifa's brows furrowed as she looked at Cloud, accepting the empty glass the little girl in pink handed to her. "Cloud, is everything - "

"They've got a fight ahead of them, that's all." The SOLDIER muttered, arms folded over top one another as he leaned against the bar. "This is a bad place to get drunk and try to sleep it off."

Echo's wings flapped once before straightening out, stiff as boards as she glared. "And who do _you_ think you are, ordering people around like that? I'll have you know I've drunk _plenty_ of liquor - I can handle myself just fine!"

"Echo, I don't think that's the point." Her companion tried, and failed, to get the faerie's attention. His voice was mild, but he was also looking at Cloud.

The blond swordsman said nothing more, eyes still rooted to the spot on the bar just above his arms and finally it was Tifa who moved.

"Alright, two waters and some stew coming right up." She managed to lift her voice back to it's warm, almost cheery pitch - passing the silver-haired warrior a glass and, after some searching, a smaller one for Echo.

The warrior handed the makeshift cup to the faerie carefully, watching her take it with a pout and drink.

The little girl in pink bustled around the bar, serving other patrons drinks as Tifa disappeared for a moment under the bar itself - coming back up with bowls and spoons. She turned to the little section of wall behind her that somewhat resembled a place for cooking and ladled out the requested food.

Looking at it, the warrior had to admit that it looked good. Smelled good too.

Echo received her own portion in a bottle cap, which she cheerfully accepted from the wide-eyed child helping Tifa.

"Thank you~ And what would your name happen to be, hm?" Echo's smile fell a little as the girl drew back, then promptly hid herself behind Tifa's legs as best she could.

"Nice job." Her companion smirked briefly, turning his head away from Echo's immediate glare.

The faerie was having none of it. "How dare you! You act as though I enjoy going around and scaring children!"

"Don't you?" The man quipped, gladly bringing another spoonful of stew to his mouth.

"Her name's Marlene." Tifa's voice cut across the brewing argument, her smile fond as she reached down with her free hand to smooth back the child's short hair. "She's just shy. When her father's away she helps me around the bar."

One dark eye looked up at them from behind its owner's hiding place, curious and only a little afraid.

"Nice to meet you, Marlene." The warrior offered what could have been called a smile - or just a mere quirk of lips. Marlene's gaze shifted to him and she hid her face again, little fingers balled into a nervous fist.

"It's okay." Tifa soothed, tone gentle. She snuck a look at Cloud and the untouched bowl in front of him, then stooped to lift Marlene up into her arms. "Cloud, we're gonna leave a bar for a minute. You know what to do."

Blond spikes bobbed as the SOLDIER nodded, not looking up until Tifa and Marlene had moved away. Only then did he reach for the bowl set before him, but it was only to push the spoon around.

"Not going to eat?" The warrior asked, setting his own spoon down into an empty bowl. He felt warm, full for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Not hungry." Cloud gave the spoon one last push, seemingly just to hear it clink against the chipped rim.

Echo huffed, her own makeshift bowl empty. "Oh cut it out will you? You were running around those reactors _before_ we even got here - I bet you didn't even take a break! So, quit the cool guy act and eat up before I _make_ you!"

The heightened volume of her voice attracted a few stares, but no one came close to tell them to leave. Cloud didn't say anything at first, gaze distant, but he finally did draw the bowl closer to himself and take a spoonful of stew.

The warrior would have sworn that the blond's mouth quirked, just for a second.

"'s good."

" _Exactly._ " Echo chimed in, sitting up straight with pride her companion wasn't entirely sure was hers to claim. "Eat up. There's _no way_ you can run around a place this big on an empty stomach!"

Cloud's silence said enough. He ate slowly, like someone not used to meals, but neither the faerie or her Blank companion commented.

"We can pay." The silver-haired man waited until Cloud's spoon had settled into the bowl for the last time to speak, watching the careful moment of hesitance before the man pushed the bowl away.

"Do what you want." Cloud's arms folded onto the bar again, posture a little more relaxed than it had been previously. "Tifa's a good person. I'd like it if you didn't cause trouble for her."

"We won't." The assurance was soft, accompanied by a slow fold of the Blank's hands. "She your friend?"

Cloud's nod was slow in coming, but meaningful. "Yeah."

" _Well_ ," Echo fluttered into the air to drop her used bottle cap into her companion's bowl, returning to retrieve her water. "Part of your memories or not, she _is_ a nice lady. I suppose I can keep from sicking my servant on her."

Cloud's snort was full of amusement, spikes of his hair slowly swaying as he shook his head. "Tifa can take care of herself." He pushed back from the stool, stretching his back as he did. The glance towards the two of them was brief, as though he were checking that they hadn't disappeared on him.

"You pay. I'm gonna go set you up at the inn."

"That's generous." The warrior drummed his fingers on the bar, "I thought we weren't friends."

"We're not," Cloud admitted, settling the behemoth of a sword on his back once more. "But you need a place to stay that's safe. This sector's about as safe as you can get."

He left them without saying anything else, ignoring the stares sent his way as he wound through the tables with familiarity. The warrior watched him go, silently agreeing with Echo's long sigh.

"Well," she hummed, "at least we got dinner."


End file.
